Another Minella winner in Academy series Sent off the 4/5 favourite for his debut, the aptly-named Minella Academy made most of the running to take the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Academy Hurdle at Cork for owner/trainer John Nallen and local jockey Daniel King. The son of Sea The Moon was pressed in the home straight by I'm All In but had seen off that rival's challenge when the latter blundered and unseated Jack Kennedy at the final flight. That left the winner clear and he came home eight lengths in front of Wispit Twobob. It was a second winner in the new series of academy hurdles for Nallen whose Minella Yoga was successful at Fairyhouse earlier in the month. Wining trainer John Nallen said: "He has plenty of class, plenty of toe and plenty of gears. I was confident although I didn't know where the (market) money came from. He is the real deal. "Yesterday I was outside and the missus was at this horse's stable door saying 'he's the one that I want, he's the one that I want' so I thought she was talking about me, but she wasn't! "We bought him for the Flat for my nephew Seanie Bowen to ride, but he went to England so he tipped away with the point-to-pointers. We decided to go this way instead of the Flat as I get more buzz seeing mine jumping than coming out of stalls. "Himself and Minella Yoga (since sold) had the same programme the whole time and Dan had done all the schooling on both. Corky (Carroll, assistant) and my nephew Conor (Bowen) had done a great job with him. Conor came up with his name as we said we'd give this new show a dig-out." Additional reporting by Thomas Weekes
